Madness
One Step Beyond

1979 was the year in which three absolute cornerstones of English music came to light among others: the epochal "London Calling" by The Clash, the monumental "The Wall" by Pink Floyd, and the unsettling "Unknown Pleasures" by Joy Division of the troubled Ian Curtis.

In such a moment of ferment, the Madness appeared on the British scene, with their debut album "One Step Beyond" becoming champions of the rediscovery of ska in the United Kingdom, alongside other bands like The Specials, thus bringing back to the forefront a genre that landed there during the '60s.

The album's intro immediately clarifies things and warns us that in the next 39 minutes, we will be overwhelmed by the new "heavy heavy monster sound" of the boys from Camden. A few seconds, and the frantic title track dispels any doubt: a overwhelming rhythm, with organ, bass, and sax in the limelight for a deadly burst of energy lasting just over two minutes of pure ska. But this is just the beginning: the next 14 tracks (there is also "Madness", a track not listed on the back of the CD but present inside the booklet) also travel at a thousand miles an hour, with a rather atypical sound, especially characterized by the excellent keyboard work by Mike Barson.

Among the most interesting episodes, it's worth mentioning "Tarzan's Nuts", a hypnotic instrumental preceded by a fun spoken intro, the carefree love songs "Believe Me" and "My Girl", the already mentioned and semi-hidden "Madness" and "The Prince". The lyrics are predominantly ironic, perfectly in tune with the "crazy" atmospheres created by the band, whose music lends itself like few others to dancing.

"One Step Beyond" did not fail to cause a stir upon its release and contributed to launching the ska trend in London, characterized by elegant suits, ties, and Lambrettas, as well as delivering to music history one of the most famous cover images. In conclusion, it is certainly a very enjoyable album, maybe not technically very refined, but nonetheless lighthearted and capable of entertaining for its entire duration.

A 4-star debut.